Wednesday, April 09, 2008

Ducati SuperSport Turbo dragbike!

One of our readers has sent us a link to this rather interesting site – DucCutters – which Ducati fans should definitely visit. The site is dedicated to customized Ducatis and other Italian motorcycles, and has tons of pictures, information and resources for those looking for inspiration for starting their own Ducati project!

One machine that especially caught our attention was the Ducati SuperSport Turbo dragbike you see here. The bike is the work of one Wayne Patterson, of Ducati Bunbury, and is based on a 1997 Ducati 900SS. Developed over the last three years, it’s been transformed from a mild, 62bhp sportsbike, to a fire-breathing 200bhp dragster!

Chassis mods include a Yamaha TZR250 front end, an extended, custom-made swingarm, and fitment of wheelie bars. The fairing and bodywork have been modified and carbonfibre has been used to construct the Ducati 900 Superlite-style look. The transmission has also been suitably beefed up to deal with the increased horsepower. Gears are now changed via an air-shifter system, operated by a button mounted on the left handlebar. A lockup clutch is also used, which allows the bike to be launched at full throttle by simply ‘dumping’ the clutch, rather than the rider having to ‘slip’ the clutch.

Patterson’s SuperSport Turbo runs on methanol, and a MOTEC fuel-injection management system makes sure everything runs smoothly. At full throttle, the turbo runs 19lb boost and the engine makes more than 200 horsepower. Yes indeed, this is one Ducati we’d love to ride…

Ducati Bunbury have also been working on a Ducati 999R twin-turbo dragbike, as well as 916 and 1098 dragbikes, all of which you can see here. And while you’re at it, also visit DucCutters for this Durbahn 999 V2 and Ducati Monster Turbo!